Wind to push away the clouds
by OneShotGoddess
Summary: One shots with Temari and Darui. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

He laid on the table, shirt up and finally removed as cooler hands touched his chest, small fingers examining the wound and sending a slight shiver down his bare skin. The blonde stops pulling back her hands, clearly thinking she'd hurt the male before her.

"I'm sorry, are you okay?" She asks, stopping the bottle mid-air, a drop yet to leave the container.

"Its fine, your hands are just cold, and "he laughs" I'm sorry for making you do this."

"I think I should be the one apologizing, I'm not exactly a medic." She states, reading the bottle again before looking back at her notes, checking she had the right bottle "Sakura what the hell," I hear her mutter to herself.

I wondered to myself why she was in the medical tent when she wasn't a medical ninja but the ambush had left us kind of scattered and I should be lucky I was being treated at all. They had hit one of our heads before we could cut off theirs. Thankfully Sakura Harano was in their midst and took down the assailant but not before we lost of chunk of our newer recuroutes. They didn't die but this had forced our hand to ask for anyone with medical training to come forwards.

"Okay," the blonde before me sighs "I don't know if Sakura was listening to what I said or is currently having an aneurysm but she said to use this and I'm not going to lie. This will sting. A lot." She says the last two words with a bit more punch, waiting for me to nod before tipping up the bottle.

Rubbing alcohol, a stronger disinfectant but a disinfectant no less. She was right, the second it touched the larger gap now ripped through my abdomen it burned like fire. I bit down he scream, only a slight hiss leaving my lips that has her looking back up at me. Sakura had healed the wound enough to stop major blood loss but it still required stitching, as her attention was needed elsewhere. So we sat here, the blonde bomb shell slowly ringing the needle through the long firm string with a pair of tweezers. Calm and collected, her tongue stuck between her teeth as she sits there like a mother preparing to fix a torn shirt by her rambunctious child.

(Darui's POV)

I wasn't dumb, I knew who sat before me. Temari of the sand, older sister to the sand shadow and a terror even worse than him. Her wrath was even feared in the hidden cloud. That was why I decided to go with her, the male, her original patient was looking rather worried and having grown up with another quick tempered women I felt more qualified to handle whatever came my way. So here I sat, almost dumbfounded at how gentle she was being.

"Okay, lean back," She says, leaning forwards, her hair still in pigtails but her bangs pinned out of her face. Her hands grasp my skin, starting with the smallest part of the cut first "how did you get this?" She asks, half examining the cut as she stitched. It was deep and long, if it wasn't for Sakura I would have bleed out by now.

"Oh you know, work." I sigh "I was too slow I guess?"

In reality I was protecting one of our newer members, the small woman was fairly talented and held her own on the face paced battle but she was young, inexperienced and when she thought the fight was over had turned and missed the chakra blade tossed her direction. It would have been her head had I not push her out of the way and so was happy to take the cut. I knew the boss would be unhappy with my injury but he would have done the same thing in my place. The blonde looked up at me, her eyes grasping mine for a brief moment, clearly disbelieving my statement but let it go as she tied up the first stitch.

"So how did you learn to do this?" I asked.

It wasn't that uncommon for ninja to know first aid, we all had basic training in each village but the way she moved, using tweezers to thread the needle, and pulling each side together carefully measuring the skin before deciding where to stitch showed me a deeper medical understanding, professional almost. Clearly the blonde had more than just standard training.

"You're going to laugh at me" she sighs

"No I won't"

She looks at me again, holding my eyes for what felt like forever and finally looked down again, her fingers holding the skin with a gentle firmness as she slides the needle through a second time of what promised to be a long evening. I bite my cheek, trying my best to ignore the pain and focus on the task at hand, the conversation. We sat there in silence for a few more moments and when I went to drop the subject she speaks, quietly, carefully like she was waiting for someone to come barging in.

"Well you know my younger brother is the sand shadow right?" I nod "well that means he's constantly rushing into danger, not that our jobs aren't dangerous already…" she trails off in a silent eye roll that has me smiling "but as skilled as I am in combat, there's not much I do for him when he's protecting the village as our leader. Shinobi or not I'm still his big sister and I'll always worry about them, both of them. So I figured if I can't protect him from everything at least I can be there to heal the injuries afterword. But as time went on, learning this became my... paradise of sorts."

I smile and cringe as she pulls the stitching slightly harder than necessary, clearly catching my secret smile. I smiled looking at the blonde as she ghosts her hands over the stitching, checking everything and looks up at me, eyes careful, calculating the situation before her. Just like that time at the chunin exams. She was a ninja of logic, always marking out her next ten moves every second but here, behind closed doors... or curtain in this case- she let some of them down. A small smile falling on her lips as she thinks about her words and my reaction.

I took this moment to look at her. Her blonde hair was longer than before, pulled into two long piggy-tails instead of four. Her blue eyes brought out by the subtle make up she now wore and her face, was surprisingly soft when it wasn't burning with anger. I looked down, taking in her outfit. I wouldn't lie, the blonde woman was quite a stunner, long legs tucked to the chair as she leaned over me, her chest, extenuated by the shirt she wore and I actually felt the room getting slightly hotter as that marvellous chest actually brushed against my arm as she reached across my body to grab another item. A pair of scissors but stopped, her face centimetres from mine as our eyes locked.

I watched her teeth gently suck in her lip, nibbling on the end of it like she had before and I found myself wanting nothing more than to bite that lip as well. Those small pink, perfectly soft lips. For the first time in a long time I could feel my heart beating in my chest and the way her eyes held mine I knew she did two. I felt her move, slowly leaning down to meet me as I leaned up, our lips seconds from touching when- CRASH! A loud sound from outside the curtain jolted us both back to our senses and she sits back, cutting the last piece of string before standing quickly.

"A-alright! I-I will let Sakura know I'm done and... Um, someone will be right in with your papers." she turns to leave but my hand is faster, grasping hers in mine.

"Temari," she stops, back still turned to me and the blush on her cheeks "thank you."

Her eyes find mine once more, for the briefest of seconds before she turns, leaving me alone in the curtains. Well it seemed my time in the sand might have gotten a bit more interesting that I first imagined.

(Temari's POV)

I stood outside the tent, my hand over my chest as I tried to reel in my thoughts. Did I really try to kiss a man I'd just met?! I wasn't sure what it was, was it him or me. I mean what the hell was wrong with me?! I was in a freaking relationship for crying out loud! If Shikamaru knew about this he'd be heart broken… but still, despite everything. The way I got all nervous and flustered around him it was nothing compared to the beating of my heart. With Shikamaru I was the same little girl who almost lost to him at the chunin exams but with Darui, I felt like a woman. Being so close to him it was like my whole body felt alive, it burned. And only when I stepped away, walked down the hall could I find myself breathing again. Even still I placed a gentle hand on my heart, the smile on my face once more and laugh, for the first time in forever.

"Your welcome." I whisper to the empty hallway.


	2. Chapter 2

They were the clean up team, tasked with bringing in the last of the traitors still lurking in the forests. They had gotten word about them after a fatal slip up. To many bites from the poisonous apple and they were now chocking on it. Chocking on us as we chased them through the trees, bounding behind them like a lion chasing a baby deer. We were picking them off one by one, person by person. You could almost feel sorry for them. Almost. We had lost quite a few of our people in their childish sneak attack, many good people when we were finally starting to recover from the backlash and losses of the forth shinobi war. I looked at my sub, the male bounding beside me with each leap as he was focused on the task at hand. It seems along with my temporary partner the Kage's were just as eager to get over this hurdle and back to peace, each village sending some of its finest warriors and hunting nin to get the job done, along with a few newer members. Each senior member was tasked with a partner, the leaders thought it would be a good way to get in some "safe" battle experience.

(Darui's POV)

Finest indeed. I smiled, watching the blonde bomb shell easily deflect a rainstorm of weapon. One giant swing of her fan easily deflecting any target. Standing close enough to defend and attack. Staying just a step ahead of the others as she guards her charge while also keeping an eye on the younger recruits. It was fascinating to watch her work, her steady hand, clear defensive skills as she blocks a punch with the end of her fan and moves, dropping to her knees as she sets up her next attack. Sending a burst of air towards another attacker to protect her charge. Though most would be scared in the heated battle Temari wasn't, the blonde seemed to have a permanent smile attached to her mouth that grew with each person she took down. We were supposed to be serious here but it seemed half way through that each senior representative had turned this into a game, trying to one up the next village in their capture or kill, I was quite sure the younger ones thought we'd all but lost our minds.

So when I saw the blade heading for her neck I didn't hesitate to throw myself in the middle of them as she threw herself over her charge who had foolishly turned her back on her opponent thinking he was down.

I wasn't sure why I did it, maybe the hero in me, but as we laid there, the knife embedded into my shoulder, lower back and hip her eyes looked at me, wide with confusion.

"Why?" She asks "why would you do that?

"I'm not sure," I answered truthfully "I'm different when I'm with you."

She stops, her eyes watching mine slowly. Confusion about what just happened, and slight anger as she wasn't used to being saved or needing to be saved. Her bright blue eyes defiant until they lock on mine, not an ounce of cockiness in them and she stops, those trusted walls of anger falling away and her look was the same as our moment in the hospital but different from before. I could feel it. That gut feeling I had back at the hospital and I knew, with one look, that she did too. Her head slowly tilting to the left as she looks at me, her hand moving to touch my face- or she would have as it suddenly snaps to the left, grabbing the hilt of her fan and swings it over my body. The fan flying open as she slams it into the ground, unintentionally pulling me closer to her body as her arm wrapped around my neck. Thankfully she was paying attention as at first I was confused and then I hear the loud clanging of five weapons as they hit the side of her fan and fall to the ground. the annoyance flashing in her eyes, our moment clearly ruined.

"Perhaps... we should do this when were not fighting." She said, pushing me off and spins, grabs the hilt of her fan to block another set of weapons flying towards us. When she looks down, noticing one Kunai that had landed dangerously close to my head her eyes darken, her hand moves as if it was defying time itself, fast and hauntingly slow as she pulls her fan in front of her, the material sliding open with a threatening aura. I was thankful at this moment that the blonde was on our side as even if I wasn't looking her in the eye I couldn't help the shiver that ran down my spine. Temari moves, biting her thumb and slides her bloody finger across the front "Wind scythe justu!"

With a giant swing of her fan I find myself forced back as wind goes everywhere. Cutting through dozens of trees, grass, rocks and anything standing in her way. The loud screams of the last traitors rips through the air and then silence. She stops. Holding that pose. Her strong legs supporting her with ease as she waits for any sign of a missed target, when she finds none I watch as she stands up, slowly, placing an arm on the top of her fan, a hip popped out and a smile on her face.

"And that, is how you end a battle!" She extends her hand to me "Come, we should get you to the medical team. You look like a porcupine."

"I know."


	3. Chapter 3

(Darui's POV)

I found her again, sitting alone in the room, books, scrolls spread out around her. I watch, her lip caught between her teeth as she tries to find whatever she was looking for. I would have been happy just watching, her gentle fingers holding into the edges of scrolls and the messy yet neat way she had each book laid out, ready to use when needed. Everything about her was precise, calculated, thought out and I couldn't help the smile that found its way on my lips, my hip leaning out as I leaned back against the wall.

Like I said I would have been happy watching but I don't get to for long as like I'd expect from someone with her skill set her eyes rise to meet mine. Shock clear in them as she lets that deviously kissable lips part in a small open mouthed look of surprise. God, how I wanted to kiss those lips and smile as like before those walls go back up, the defiance in her eyes once more as her mouth snaps shut like the powerful jaws of a bear trap. Yet despite all her anger a blush still managed to dust her cheeks as she quickly looks down at the papers again.

"I thought you were leaving. Going back to the cloud I mean." I could tell she was angry, I couldn't blame her.

I only hoped it wasn't too late to fix it.

"I was," I say, leaning against the wall as I look at her again.

"What changed your mind?"

I grin, deciding to pull a page out of her playbook.

"You'll laugh at me."

Like I hoped it makes a hairline crack in her defenses as her eyes slowly rise back up to meet mine, anger still lingering in her eyes but amusement on her lips.

"I would say I won't laugh but knowing me I probably will."

I smirk, looking down at the floor before pushing off the wall, walking closer to her and stop, standing beside the window and watch as she tenses up. Still I look straight ahead, not wanting to push her more than I was.

"I was going to leave but I didn't make it more than ten steps before I found myself turning around."

"Why?" she whispers, her voice soft, careful, hesitant.

I knew if I looked she would have her face shielded by her hair, blocking my view. But I didn't need to see her face to know what she was thinking.

"I guess… I found something I wanted here more."

This time my eyes do find hers, her blue eyes widening to almost impossible sizes as she registers my words. A brief flash of hope passes through them before her head snaps down to her books again.

"The sand isn't like the cloud Darui, won't you be lonely?" she whispers, grabbing a paper once more, only to drop it when I touch her arm, clasping her now empty hand in mine.

"Maybe but I'd have you... if you wanted that."

She stops, looking at me and goes to look away, stopping when my hand touches her cheek, forcing her to look back at me. I could see it. The fear in her eyes, the thought of getting hurt again was real but I wasn't like him.

"I know what he did to you," I whisper, taking both of her hands now "I will never do that, I swear on my life."

Even thinking about it made my blood boil, the need to hurt him like he hurt her. Maybe even more. Yet despite all my anger I forced myself to keep my cool. This was about her not me.

"Darui," she sighs, pulling away from me and turns, her back to me as her hands grip her arms "it's not that simple. I'm… I'm not good anymore. I used to be but now… you deserve better than me. I'm damaged…"

I step forwards, angered by the words she was saying, what they meant and that she really believed them. I reached forwards, grabbing her arms and grip her in a backwards hug. I felt her freeze, tense up before me and wait, seeing if she would do something and when she doesn't attack me I sigh, placing my head on top of hers.

"Temari, you are not damaged. You are a survivor. A warrior and one of the strongest women I've ever known. And you can deny it all you want but despite whatever you think, you deserve to be happy." I whisper, releasing her from my hold and hoping that she was listening to every word I was saying "I can't guarantee that we would always be happy, but I want to try. I want to spend the rest of this life trying. If you'll let me."

She turns her head, slowly, carefully to look at me. Tears streaming down her face. She moves her hand and I wait, seeing if she'd slap me for being too close or except me and sigh when she lifts her hand to me. Fingers slowly unclasping from the fist she made and held out before me. I move. Sliding my fingers into hers, gently at first as even my touch has her jumping and grasp her hand in a firm grip, promising to myself and her that I would never let go.

Ever.


End file.
